Gebrüder Weiss and Henkel Shift Transport to Rail

The transport and logistics service provider Gebrüder Weiss and the consumer goods manufacturer Henkel have expanded their long-standing logistics partnership with an innovative rail concept. Washing and cleaning agents produced by Henkel in Kruševac, Serbia, have been reaching European markets on the Vienna – Düsseldorf route by rail since May of this year.

(Düsseldorf/Wien/Kruševac/Lauterach) For approximately 750 shipments annually, Gebrüder Weiss, together with Henkel’s site logistics in Düsseldorf, has developed and implemented a relocation project from which both partners benefit multiple times. “We are bypassing the current shortage of truck loading space, can reduce climate-relevant emissions on the Vienna – Düsseldorf route by up to 70 percent, and offer the same transit time as road transport,” emphasizes Roland Raith, Country Manager Serbia at Gebrüder Weiss. The rail solution saves around 500 tons of CO2 per year.

The products from Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care division, which were previously transported by truck over the entire distance, are now loaded onto Helrom’s horizontal trailer cars in Vienna. This allows Gebrüder Weiss to use the same trailers that were previously used in road transport. “The loading principle is barrier-free,” explains Roland Raith. “We are independent of classic rail terminals with Helrom and do not require special craneable trailers and cranes. The trailers are simply pushed onto the freight cars via side-swinging loading areas and pulled off at the destination by another tractor.”

Joint Development of the Transport Concept

The transport concept was developed and realized by Gebrüder Weiss in collaboration with Henkel and Helrom. A particular advantage is that the train is directly connected to Henkel’s plant traffic. “The trailer hub is located in close proximity to our Henkel site in Düsseldorf. This allows us to unload products directly from the wagons and bring them to our warehouse over the shortest distance. With the rail solution, we avoid transport routes by truck, thereby saving CO2 emissions and making our processes more sustainable,” explains Patrick Csar, Logistics and Export Manager Supply Chain Laundry & Home Care at Henkel.

Long-standing Logistics Partnership

Gebrüder Weiss has a partnership with Henkel that spans more than 25 years. The logistics provider manages land, air, and sea transports between various Henkel production sites and distribution warehouses in Europe, Asia, and the USA. In European land transport, Gebrüder Weiss is already using several low-emission gas trucks for Henkel.

Photo: © Gebr. Weiss